The government of Canada has made a donation in support of the Maldivian government’s efforts to boost medical waste management.

In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Canadian government approved the project worth 1.35 million Canadian Dollars, of which the signing ceremony took place on Tuesday.

The project, titled “Disinfections of Medical Waste” will support the government’s efforts to strengthen medical waste management nationwide as well as aid the country’s efforts to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The virtual ceremony to launch the project was attended by Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem, senior officials at the ministry as well as the High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka David McKinnon and acting representatives of the WHO office in Maldives.

Shedding light on the significant aid provided by the Canadian government and WHO to fund the project, Minister Naseem expressed gratitude to both parties and especially High Commissioner McKinnon for his close cooperation to launch the project in the Maldives.

Highlighting that the project will be led by the WHO branch in the island nation, Minister Naseem thanked them for their cooperation and support as well.

Under the “Disinfections of Medical Waste” project, 40 autoclaves will be procured to enhance the sanitization and medical waste management across health centers of 10 more atolls, alongside atolls where the facilities have already been established.

The safe disposal of healthcare waste is crucial for effective protection against viral and communicable diseases such as Covid-19 and other transmissible diseases. The project is expected to enhance the safety of health workers as well as patients.

The service is expected to encourage environmentally sustainable ways to dispose off medical waste. This will also address the policy on how waste management currently impacts climate change and the environment and aims to bring an end the practice of burning medical waste, which in turn minimizes impacts on the environment.

The government of Maldives established the National Healthcare Waste Management Policy and Strategy with the assistance from WHO. A pilot project to eliminate healthcare waste was also carried out successfully across Laamu atoll under these efforts.